What Can Buying A Toothbrush Teach You About Golf?

It had been on its last legs for a few months so I wasn’t totally surprised when it finally expired.

The following morning, I wandered down to the local shopping centre to buy a new one.

A well-known chain of chemists had a sale on, so I went in and had a look round.

Happily, they had one left of the model I was looking for – and there was a discount!

Whoop! :0)

I picked it up and wandered back towards the front of the store to pay.

As I got to the counter, I turned the box over to check the price.

I saw a sticker showing the colour of the toothbrush inside the box.

It was bright pink.

I hesitated for a moment and the thought popped into my mind.

‘Do I really want a pink toothbrush….?’

Now where did that thought arise from?

The colour pink has no meaning.

It is simply a perception arising from the stimulation of cone cells in the human eye when electromagnetic radiation hits them.

It is completely neutral.

The colour in no way affects the functionality of the toothbrush.

But my thinking and my behaviour as I walked up to the till was influenced by my belief and cultural conditioning.

By the meaning I had attached to the colour pink.

If I was less aware of the nature of thought, of how my mind works, I might have put the toothbrush back on the shelf.

Or complained to the sales assistant about the lack of other options.

It might have become ‘a problem’.

A problem created purely by a belief which I may not even have been aware of.

So how is this relevant to your golf?

Well, believe it or not, golf has no meaning either. Other than the meaning you give it.

This meaning is part of the story you have about yourself and the game.

This story has developed in your mind over the years you have been playing.

It has been influenced by the culture of the game and by wider society.

Many people have never questioned this story, so it becomes their reality.

It is this story which gives rise to all the thoughts and feelings you have on a golf course.

Not the game of hitting a little white ball with a stick.

So, if you are playing well and enjoying the game, great!

Just get out there and keep playing.

If, however you are struggling with your feelings or emotions when you play, it might be time for a look in a different direction.

Rather than thinking about how to change the colour of the toothbrush, which is probably what you have been doing for years, maybe pause for a minute to explore the meaning you have attached to that colour?

If you would like to have a chat about this idea, or any other aspect of your golf, please feel free to drop me an email.